Now..that picture looks like it has baby potatoes in it, doesn't it?
Well no. it's arbi, or colocassia.

That veggie which is hairy, itchy and funnily shaped (the way I described it as a child). I have gone from hating arbi to simply loving it now. And this particular recipe can convert alomost anyone into an arbi fan. Just try it....

Ingredients:

Arbi 250 gms
Tamarind* size of a small lemon, soaked in warm water
Jaggery* 2 tbsps
Green Chillies 3, slit
Ginger 1" , thinly sliced
Dried red chillies 2
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Urad dal 1/2 tsp
Hing a pinch
Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves 7-8
Oil

Method:

That is a long list of ingredients!! But it gets really simple from here.

Pressure cook the arbi (for 2 whistles) with a little bit of tamarind. The tamarind takes away the itchiness from the arbi. Ensure that the arbi is not over-cooked, it should just yield to a knife. Peel the arbi and cut it to the size of baby potatoes.

Extract the juice from the tamarind and set aside. The juice need not be very thick.

Heat oil. Pop in the urad dal, mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chillies, red chillies and ginger, in that order. Now add the arbiand stir for a bit.

Then add the red chilli powder, hing and salt. Stir.

Now add the tamarind juice and the jaggery and simmer for about 15 mins.

Quite easy, huh? And very tasty, I assure you that!! Tastes best with rotis.


* You are looking for that perfect sweet, sour and spicy taste, and this combination, I have realised, varies from person to person. Moreover, the tanginess and the sweetness of tamarind and jaggery greatly vary across brands. So while the quantities I have indicated work well for me, you might need to vary the proportions of these 2 to suit your taste.